The Booty at Ooty... Review on Ooty

Another one of my destinations,more for family reasons is Ooty.

A place I have studied and seen for over a decade.Let's not get into the 'studies' of the matter..hahahha...but highlight the charm of the place we know as Ootacamund.

The history of the place,as I know is starts or has been documented from the time of the british.Remnants of which are still around in terms of the names of streets, the schools and of course the colonial houses.

For starters,I am sure many many people have visited this hill station.Made also famous by the hindi movies for those romantic locales that were used from here in the 80's and also a (once upon a time) clean and massive Ooty lake.

But for the others,for a first hand read up - use : https://ootacamund.com/

This gives you a peek with pictures into the places that surround the town.

But there is defenitely nothing like the real thing !!!

What you need to know :

Ooty thrives on it's tourism and its citric trade

The locals are very friendly and always ready with a helping hand

Good mix of english generations and locals - nice to see around

Excellent place for your schooling years - the spread of schools is amazing !

A MUST visit is the Kings Store - for Home made chocolates ( BIG TREAT !! )

Visit chapels and churches...they are all breathtaking for it's architecture and interiors.The same goes for the colonial homes - many that have now been converted into hotels or home stays

Take a trip on that choo-choo train - the chaiya chaiya train - actually

Visit the botanical gardens - makes for a very good day spent given good weather

And how can we miss the lake - dont have any romantic notions about that anymore though.This has become a commercial hub and hence been stripped of its quiet and once clean surroundings.

Ooty is very well connected to Chennai and Bangalore - so you will have no problem hitting either cities at your convinience

Great place to shop for an assortment of fruits especially strawberries !!!

Minuses :

The lake has gotten dirty and the corporation has not been able to control or contain the contamination in and around the lake

Rains play havoc this side of the hills and can be a dampner.Avoid driving up there when the clouds look dark and gloomy

The town has gotten congested with traffic and over crowded with people

Sights of clustered homes can be disappointing considering at one time all you could see was hills and hills and MORE hills !!!!!

In closing - a weekend and that's about it.

Dont forget the home made chocolates !!!